wolever



F. H. WOLEVER.

CENTHIFUGAL CASTING MACHINE.

APLICATION FILED JULY 9.1917.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

s E c mm om @1am 1Q NNN Q @ce THB COLUMBIA PLANouRAnn cr, WASHINGTQN, n,c4

F. H. WOLEVER.

CENTRIFUGAL cAslNG MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 9.1917.

' Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

2 S HEETS-SHEET 2- llllllly UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIoE.

FRANKLIN H. WOLEVER, .OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, AKSSIGNOB TO IDEAL ROLLERC0., OF

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION 0F DELAWARE.

CENTRIFUG-AL CASTING-MACHINE.

To all whom t may concern.'

Be it known that I, FRANKLIN H.. WOL- EVER, a citizen of the UnitedStates, and a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and StateofIllinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inCentrifugal Casting-Machines; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and lexact description thereof, reference being had tothe accompanying drawings, and to the characters of reference markedthereon, `which form a part of this specification.

Thisinvention relates to a novel machine or apparatus for makingcompound rollers, for printing presses, type writing machines, clotheswringers and other uses, such for instance like the roller illustratedin my prior U. S. Letters Patent No. 1161756, dated November 25, 1915.

The present invention relates more particularly to an improvedcentrifugal casting machine for forming the shell or face layer of theroller, and to means for forming in the mold a liner against which theface layer is formed.

Among the objects of the invention is to produce a novel apparatus ormachinefor this purpose, so constructed ,and arranged as to facilitatethe forming of the liner and the roller shell; to provide a machine ofthis character in which the'centrifugal mold may readily be applied toand removed from the driving and supporting elements of the machine; toprovide a novel meansfor centering the centrifugal mold in thesupporting and drivingV elements; to provide novel means of cooling themold during the shell forming or casting operation and to otherwiseimproveV and simplify casting machines of this general character.

The invention consists in the combination and arrangement of the partsshown in the 'drawings and described in the specification,

and is pointed `out in the appended claims.

Inv the drawings Figure 1 is ay side elevation of a casting machineembodying my invention, being part in section to show the mold liner.

w Fig. .2"r is an axial section of the mold after' the roller shell hasbeen formed.-

. y specification of Lettersll'atent. l Patented Sept. 23, 1919.

original application med Aprn 21, 1917, serial 110.163,579. Divided andthis semi No. 179,420,

application led July 9, 1917.

Fig. 3 is a similar view, showing the complete rollerand adapter tubetherein.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged axial section of the machine, broken away betweenits ends. Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4..

The `frame of the shell casting machine shown inA Figs. 1 toy 5,inclusive, comprises a bed 10 and head and tail stocks 11, 12,respectively. The tail stock is adjustable longitudinally of the bed andis vlocked thereto by a screw 13 and nut 14, said bed beinglongitudinally slotted to receive a reduced portion of the tail stock.

The .cylindric rotative shell mold 15 is supported at its ends byconical centering members 16, 17, the mold being provided with endclosing caps 18, which are annularly recessed to receive friction rings19 that bear directly against the inner of said conical centering andsupporting members. The centering member 16 is apically apertured and isfixed to a rotative drive shaft 20, shown as hollow to provide for theescape of gases from the mold through the apical aperture; and saidshaft is mounted in suitable bearings 21 of the head stock. Power istransmitted to said shaft to rotate the mold by means of a pulley 22. Apipe 23 to provide for the escape of gas from the mold. and providedwith a valve 24, is connected by an elbow fitting 25 with said hollowdrive shaft by a rotative joint, and is supported from the head stock bya. bracket 26.

The opposite conical centering and supporting member 17 is supportedthrough a suitable antifriction bearing 27 on the tail stock so as to.rotate freely with respect to the tail stock. It is provided with anapical opening through which and the opening of the adjacent end capextends a feed tube 28, which latter is removably seated in a horizontalbore in the tail stock and is provided with a shouldered outer end 29that limits the inward movement of the tube. Said tube is locked to thetail stock by a removable pin 30 and is closed at its outer end by' aplu 31, which may be locked to the shouldere end of the tube by a pm 32.

Removal of the plug 31 aiords access to the tube to clean the same. Uponremoval of the pinv 30 the said plug and tube, locked together by thepin 32, may be removed together 'for a more complete cleaning of thetube. The tube is apertured between its 'ends forcommunication with 4theoutlet end 33 of a funnel B4-that is supported on the tail stock, andthrough which the liner and shell materials are poured into Vthe mold.

1n assembling the mold in the machine, the screw13 `is loosened and thetail stock adjusted on the bed to permit the mold to bepassed betweenthe enlarged end of the members 16 and 17, whereupon the tailstoclnwithits member 17 is slid inwardly to center the mold andclamp themold between said conical centering` and supporting members. Thereafterthe screw 13 locks the tail stock in place. After the mold has beenassembled and is set in rotation, a quantity of the liner material,which has been accurately measured to produce a liner of a l giveninternal diameter, is poured through the funnel 34 into the rotatingmold, and centrifugal force developed by the rotation of the mold causesthe liner material to form against the wall of the mold to produce aliner 35 of uniform thickness.

In order to prevent the liner material `from cracking or checking, dueto its contact with a cool mold wall, the mold is heat- ,ed toy asuitable temperature Vso as to allow the liner, when formed against themold wall, to cool uniformly throughout its thickness and thereby avoidinternal strains which may develop checks or cracks. A further advantageof preliminarily heating the mold is that the rise in temperature servesto slightly expand the mold whereby, 4upon cooling, the mold wallcontracts upon the cooling liner and partly compensates for theshrinking of the liner due to its cooling. The liner is, moreover,elastic and is made of material that clings to the mold wall so thatthecontracting of the shell does not .have the effect of parting theliner from the mold wall when the roller shell is formed therein.

After the liner is formed and hardened, the material to form the shelllayer of the roller, which `previously has been prepared by a partialvulcanizing process, ismiXed .with a further vulcanizing agent and ispoured through the funnel into the rotating, lined mold; the .charge ofmaterial having been accurately measured by a suitable measuringinstrument to produce a shell of proper thickness and diameter to,correspond with the overall diameter of the roller and other conditions.The mold continues until the shell material has been forced outvwardlyagainst lthe Aliner to form a shell 86 `of uniform thickness and hashardened to maintain a permanent shape. The heat of vulcanization raisesthe temperature in the mold, and the resultant gases pass from thematerial to the interior of the shell and outwardly through the escapepipe 23. Likelihood of gases being pocketed in the shell` is therebyavoided and the shell is formed with a very smooth outer surface ofhomogeneous te'Xtureralidv free from moisture. Air is circulated throughthe mold at high speed while the shell is being formed, as by means of afan 37 connected to the pipe 23, so as to properly cool the shellmaterial. Circulation of air through the mold while the liner is beingformed and hardens is not required, and the valve 24C may be closedwhilethe liner is being formed.

The liner material is of such character, or is so treated prior to theformation of the liner, as by the addition of a readily miscible agenthaving a higher melting temperature than the `liner material, that itsfusing temperature is relatively higher than the vulcanizing temperatureof the shell mateL rial, but considerably lower than the fusing point ofthe shell after it has set. 1n this manner the forming surface of theliner is maintained intact against break-down under the action of thevulcanizingtemperature of the shell while being formed which, should itoccur to the slightest extent, would injure the face of the liner andconsequently roughen the face of the shell and necessitate a grindingoperation to properly finish the shell.

An advantage of the construction described lies in the ease with whichthe mold chamber 15 may beremoved from the machine, it being onlynecessary to release the screw 13 and slide the tail stock outwardlysuch distance as will permit one end of the mold, which may be thusfreed, to pass the larger end of its adjacent conical supporting member.

A further advantage found in the use of said construction is that theend caps 18 are held in place by the pressure which supports andcentralizes the mold chamber in the machine, so that no special holdingmeans are required to hold or retain the caps on the mold during thecasting operation. Therefore, when the moldis removed said end caps maybe readily detached from ,the ends of the mold preparatory to settingthe mold in the stationery casting machine. The rubber rings or gaskets19 provide eflicient driving connections between the mold chamber andthe supporting members.

The machine herein shown is adapted to be used with the form of castingmachine shown in my (5o-pending application for U. S. Letters Patent,Serial No. 17 94.21 iiled of even date herewith, which said applicationand the present application are divisions of my prior application for U.S. Letters Patent Serial No. 163,57 9, filed on the 21st day of April,1917.

I claim as my invention 1. Apparatus for casting roller shellscomprising a mold, rotative centering members adapted to engage, center,and support molds of different diameters, and means to rotate one ofsaid members.

2. Apparatus for 'casting roller shells comprising a mold, removable endcaps for said mold, rotative centering members constructed to receivethe ends of said caps to center and support the mold, and means torotate one of said members.

3. Apparatus for casting roller shells comprising a frame, a mold,rotative supporting members adapted to engage the ends of the mold tocenter molds of varying diameters, an anti-friction bearing between oneof lsaid members and the frame, and a drive shaft fixed to the othermember.

4. A mold, rotative centerin members to engage, center and support mo dsof different diameters, a rotative drive shaft fixed to one of saidcontering members, and a feed pipe extending through one of said membersinto said mold.

5. A mold, rotative centering members to center and support the mold, arotative drive shaft fixed to one of said centering members, and a feedpipe extending through one of the members into said mold, said driveshaft being hollow to conduct air and gases from said mold.

6. In combination with rotative, opposed, hollow, conical mold centeringmembers and a mold supported on and centered by said members.

7. In combination with rotative, opposed, hollow conical, mold centeringmembers, a mold supported on and centered by said members, and bearingsfor said centering members, with means for rotating one of said members.

8. In combination with rotative, opposed hollow conical mold centeringmembers and a mold supported and centered thereby, of a feed tubeextending through one of the said members into the mold.

9. In combination with rotative, opposed hollow conical mold centeringmembers and a mold supported and centered thereby, of a feed tubeextending through one of the said members into the mold, and a removableaxial lug to close said tube.

10. n combination with rotative, opposed hollow conical mold centeringmembers and a mold supported and centered thereby, of a feed tubeextending through one of the said members into the mold, a bearing forsaid tube, means to detachably lock the tube in said bearing, a plug toclose the tube, and

\ other .detachable means to lock said plug to said tube.

11. The combination with a frame, and a rotative, mold, of a feed tubeextending at one end into the mold, with means to removably lock it tothe frame to permit end- Wise withdrawal of the tube, and a plug toclose the outer end of the tube, with other means to detachably lock itto said tube.

12. In combination with a frame, opposed, hollow conical mold supportingand centering members, a rotative ,drive shaft mounted in said frameyand fixed to one of said meinbers, an anti-friction bearing between theother member and said frame, said latter member being provided with anapical opening, a feed tube supported in the frame and extending at itsinner end through said apical opening and into the mold, a hopperconnected to the feed tube between the ends of the latter and aremovably mounted plug to close the outer end of the feed tube.

13. A roller shell casting machine comprising a frame, a fixed headstock, a movable tail stock and mold supporting and centering membersfrictionally engaging the ends of the mold rota-tively mounted on thehead andV tail stocks, respectively.

14. A roller shell casting machine com-y prising a frame, a `fixed headstock, a movable tail stock, opposed mold centering and supportingdevices to frictionally engage the ends of the mold, a rotative driveshaft mounted in the head stock and fixed to one of said members, a moldsupported on and centered by said memlbers, and means to feed materialto said mold.

15. Apparatus for casting roller shells comprising a mold, rotativecentering members to center and support the mold, removable end caps forsaid mold, adapted to engage said centering members and to be therebyheld in place on the mold.

16. A mold, rotative centering and supporting members engaging the endsof the mold, a drive shaft fixed to one of the members, said shaft beinghollow and communieating with the interior of the mold, and a suctionfan connected to said hollow shaft.

In witness whereof I claim the foregoing as my invention, I hereuntoappend my signature in vthe presence of two witnesses at Chicago,Illinois, this 7th day of June, 1917.

FRANKLIN H. WOLEVER.

Witnesses:

W. L. HALL, A. E. WALBRIDGE.

Copies of thisipatent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

